Wildlife needs our help. Human activity has changed and eliminated habitat, locally, and on the global scale, and birds, butterflies and other wildlife are pushed into ever-shrinking wilderness areas.

You can make a difference. You can invite wildlife back to your own yard and neighborhood by planting a simple garden that provides habitat. Imagine your garden teeming with singing songbirds, colorful butterflies, flitting hummingbirds, and other small wildlife.

Providing a sustainable habitat for wildlife begins with your plants. That’s why we call it a wildlife habitat “garden.” When you plant the native plant species that wildlife depend on, you create habitat and begin to restore your local environment. Adding water sources, nesting boxes and other habitat features enhances the habitat value of your garden to wildlife. By choosing natural gardening practices, you make your yard a safe place for wildlife.

Creating a wildlife garden reverses some of the human-caused habitat destruction that is hurting wildlife. It’s easier than you might think. Here is what your wildlife garden should include: